Wang Shouwen, China’s former ‘foot soldier’ now promoted to ‘general’ in US-China trade talks
- The vice-commerce minister is Vice-Premier Liu He’s deputy and chief translator in the trade talks with the likes of US trade representative Robert Lighthizer
- The 53-year-old has spent the majority of his 30-year career focused almost entirely on Chinese foreign trade
Wang Shouwen, the top deputy in China’s trade negotiation team, remained silent over the specifics of the ongoing US-China trade talks earlier this month, instead choosing to reveal details of the lunch menu Vice-Premier Liu He shared with his US counterpart.
Liu opted for the traditional American staple, the hamburger, while US trade representative Robert Lighthizer chose Asian-style stir-fried chicken with eggplant. The two skipped tea or coffee and drank boiled water, a Chinese custom.
The practised way that Wang disclosed selective information that advances a negotiation, while holding back technical details that may still be in dispute, has helped the 53-year-old move up the ladder from junior official at the then Chinese foreign trade ministry in 1989 to Vice-Commerce Minister over the last three decades.
From his prominent position inside one of China’s most powerful ministries, Wang is at the centre of talks that will influence the country’s economic future and future relations between the world’s two largest economies.
While Wang is not Beijing’s top negotiator in the high-stakes talks with the United States, with that honour falling to Liu, his rich experience in tough disputes and his skills in drafting the delicate wording of a trade agreement text have made him a natural heavyweight across the table, according to analysts and the people who know him.